The Shed
1.5.24 Empowered
  • I'll Say Yes Lord Yes
  • The Name of The Lord is
  • I Go to The Rock
  • I am Blessed
  • travleling on
  • going to a meeting
  • The Prophets

    Isaiah 7:14 NASB95
    14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
    Isaiah 9:6–7 NASB95
    6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

    The Foretelling

    Luke 1:26–38 NASB95
    26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

    The Angels and the Shepherds

    Luke 2:1–20 NASB95
    1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

    The Wise Men

    Matthew 2:1–11 NASB95
    1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 6And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
      • Acts 6:1–7NASB95

      • Acts 5:38–39NASB95

      • Genesis 12:1NASB95

      • Genesis 39:2–3NASB95

      • 2 Chronicles 1:11–12NASB95

      • Luke 9:1–2NASB95

      • Acts 6:1NASB95

      • Acts 6:2–4NASB95

  • way maker
  • fear is a liar
  • Gratitude
  • nothing else
  • Single Mind
  • Review ALL IN series. Purpose for the series: how where we are as The Shed is where they were then…
    Acts 6:1–7 NASB95
    1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. 7 The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
    Title: Empowered
    Summarize last week: Unstoppable… (God builds the church)
    Remember Gamaliel’s advice:
    Acts 5:38–39 NASB95
    38 “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
    It is interesting that the scripture makes the point that if God does it, it can’t be stopped, but immediately follow with the strategy the apostles begin to develop…
    This is a pattern we see in scripture throughout the Old and New Testaments, that God empowers his people to do what He called them to.
    Abraham
    Genesis 12:1 NASB95
    1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
    Joseph
    Genesis 39:2–3 NASB95
    2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
    Solomon
    2 Chronicles 1:11–12 NASB95
    11 God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.”
    In the ministry of Jesus, it was the same…
    He empowered them, then sent them out to do the job…
    Luke 9:1–2 NASB95
    1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.
    This is the pattern… God gives the ability, then expects that ability to be used…
    He empowers, then sends…
    He equips, then expects…
    In Acts 2, God pours out His Spirit, then Peter preaches a sermon that sees a 3000 member altar call.
    In Acts 3, God heals a lame man, then Peter and John face their first persecution from the religious leaders of the day, but in the process 5000 more people are saved.
    In Acts 4 God shakes the room with His glory, then the church sees a new sense of generosity that provides for the ministry.
    But what we see start to happen in Acts 5 is the apostles adjusting to the rapid growth in the first four chapters…
    In the same pattern, the first four chapters are God building the church, then expecting the apostles to do what Jesus trained them to do in caring for His people…
    And now in Acts 6, the author points out:
    Acts 6:1 NASB95
    1 Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.
    While they were increasing in number…
    They were growing, and growth requires adjustment…
    Acts A. Need for Servants (vv. 1–2)

    Luke gives us an honest look at the age-old problem of prejudice. This was not essentially a racial division, since these people were all Jews; but we do see a definite cultural problem. The “outsiders” didn’t act, talk, or live like the pure-blooded Palestinian Jews, so they were treated like second-class citizens.

    Just because it’s the church doesn’t mean there aren’t human problems…
    Even in the church, we must continue to grow…
    Part of growth is uncovering our own hidden biases.
    We grow when we address.
    Notice, they didn’t just ignore what was happening, they addressed it…
    Acts 6:2–4 NASB95
    2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
    They didn’t sweep it under the rug…
    They didn’t ignore the problem…
    They saw what was happening, heard the complaint, and took action…
    God had already empowered them to do ministry. He didn’t open heaven and fix the issue Himself…
    He expected His ministers to do their job…
    In the same way, He calls and empowers us in every day life and expects us to do OUR JOB!
    Expound
    Not everyone is called to preach.
    Not everyone is called to lead worship..
    Not everyone is an intercessor…
    When the apostles looked at this issue, they decided to follow the pattern of Jesus and empower others to fill the gap.
    You can’t do everything and maintain excellence…
    You will end up in a place of mediocracy if you don’t focus on your purpose and vision…
    The first thing you have to figure out is what your vision is. What’s the goal God has put in front of you.
    What does He want you to achieve?
    Then, if it doesn’t move you toward your goal, do you need it?
    This is the pattern: God will empower, and He expects you to carry it out.
    What has God called you to?
    What has God told you not to do?
    Where has God called you to go?
    What’s holding you back from it?
    Altar Call
    Deacon Process:
    In light of the biblical pattern provided in these scriptures, we want to follow that pattern in all things we do.
    Let God empower us as individuals and as a body, then do the work.
    This is where strategy and goals come in. God empowers and we carry it out.
    Mention the Vision and moving forward
    In this chapter, the apostles instructed them to choose men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom…
    These men are not called by a title yet, but they are a precursor to what will later be called Deacons.
    In fact the word used for “serve” when serving tables in mentioned is diakonia and one who preforms this ministry is a diakonos which is where we get our English word Deacon.
    Explain our Deacon rotation, the nominations, and pass out the packets
    While they are being distributed, explain the “new business” process and the corresponding paper in the packet.
    Business Meeting will be on January 26th at 6pm just before Meet’n’Eat.
    The deadline for deacon nominations and New Business is January 19th.